Are you ready for parenthood?
by Dr.Horus
Summary: Seven months ago the family's parents died in a car crash and suddenly Altaïr became accountable for his younger brothers, Desmond, Clay, Connor, and Ezio. It's hard enough just being a fresh young adult, but to have to care for a family and work two jobs has Altaïr far stretched. Not to mention dating.
1. Chapter 1

**So this brilliant idea came to me at the urging of various beautiful art pieces by various beautiful artists. I have attempted, and unfortunately failed, and other long fics, but, obviously, none have come out this successful. I'm not sure how long this will be or the specifics of what will occur, but I'm excited and optimistic! If you have any suggestions, please share them. And without further ado, to the story!**

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"Alty! Clay's hitting me!" Desmond squealed. The four year old ran into Altaïr's room and promptly hopped onto the occupied bed in an attempt to escape the abusive blonde that followed.

"I am not!" Clay defended himself even as he hit his younger brother on the head with a plastic sword. Even though Clay was only one year older than the brunette, he was often the terrorizer of the little kid.

Desmond fell back, tripping over an arm hidden beneath blankets, and landed on Altaïr, who had still been attempting to sleep through the racket. He gave a loud growl when the brunette's heavy force hit his gut and shot up, casting the bickering boys a glare. The children squeaked and quickly ran from the room, smart enough to know not to mess with Altaïr when he was in that mood.

The abandoned nineteen year old groaned and rubbed his tired eyes. Couldn't they just let him sleep until his alarm went off once? He grumbled incoherently and grabbed the clock on the bedside table, squinting at it for the time.

6:25

Shit.

"Shit!" He was going to be late! Altaïr jumped out of bed and ran from his room, wearing nothing but the t-shirt and boxers he slept in, and headed straight for the door across the hall. He didn't even bother knocking before barging in and flicking on the light, shedding illumination on the two sleeping forms that occupied one of the two bunk beds of the room.

"Get up, boys, gotta get to school!" he called briefly, before flying off down the hall. Who the hell's idea was it to let him sleep in?

The brunette zipped around the kitchen, working on preparing breakfast for the boys before it was time for school and work. He grabbed the various ingredients for making pancakes, one of the many meals he had been forced to learn over the past few months. As he cooked, Altair dreaded going to work. His boss, a man taller than even himself with a long white beard and seemed a thousand years old, was stern and cruel and certainly wouldn't be very considerate of Altair's tardiness. Altair was very certain that the man hated him.

"Can I help?" a voice inquired, followed by a tug on Altaïr sleeve. Altaïr looked down and found Connor at his elbow, staring up at him with those big brown eyes of his.

"Sure, get a stool." Altaïr motioned to the yellow plastic footstool by the pantry door.

Connor quickly retrieved the step stool and positioned it in front of Altaïr where he was making pancakes at the stove. The older gave the younger the flipper and showed him how to toss the pancakes. Connor stuck out his tongue in concentration as he worked to not dump the soft cakes out of the pan.

By now Connor was only nine years old but already seemed more mature than Ezio who was two years older than him. The young boy was brave and meticulous, acting more adult like than even Altair at times, but never forgot his childish side. Connor has always been a momma's boy, sticking close to their mother's side.

Altair sighed at the thought of their mom. It had been seven months since he'd seen her face. Seven months since the accident.

Quickly, the memory was shunted to the back of his mind. He never liked to dwell on bad thoughts.

"Oh, Ezio," Altaïr called to the boy just passing by. "Breakfast is almost ready, get some plates and set the table." he instructed.

"Okay." Ezio went off to do as asked. He grabbed a stack of plates and headed for the table.

Before he arrived Clay swept under his feet and snatched up the plate on top.

"I'm helping!" he declared with a grin.

Ezio laughed and smiled down at the short boy. "Careful, you rascal, don't drop it."

"I won't, I won't." he promised, carefully balancing it on his head between his hands.

"I wanna help!" Desmond cried, feeling left out of the fun.

Altaïr grabbed the little boy by the waist and hoisted him up onto the counter, resting him between the stack of already cooked pancakes and the batter bowl.

"Don't knock anything over." he told Desmond, before returning to his post by Connor, guiding the youngster in flipping properly.

Of course it didn't take long before there was a sound of disgust from Ezio.

"Ew, gross!" Ezio exclaimed angrily.

Desmond had dipped his hand in the batter and was smearing it in Ezio's hair when the eleven year old had gotten too close.

"Desmond, get your hands out of there!" Altaïr scolded.

He hooked Desmond around the stomach, holding him so his torso faced the ground, and carried him to the sink. Desmond just hung limply laughing at the, to him, upside down kitchen. Altaïr held his up to the sink and rinsed off his hands then dried them, before letting the little devil free again. As soon as he hit the ground, Desmond scurried off, no doubt to go get into something else.

"Altaïr, the pancakes are done." Connor called as he flipped the last one onto the stack.

"Breakfast time!" Altaïr announced. He scooped up the plate of pancakes in one hand and the syrup in the other and carried them to the table. It took another trip to the kitchen to retrieve the various toppings for the breakfast. It had become tradition in the Ibn-La'Ahad household to have personalized pancakes so the topping ranged greatly.

"Alright, what do you guys want on your pancakes?" he asked around.

"Ooh! Ooh! Chocolate!" Desmond begged, his hand shooting up high and his eyes widening at the prospect of sugar. The child's entire torso was draped across the table as he leaned eagerly forward, his feet kicking in the air.

"I want chocolate too!" Clay agreed. He sat on his folded legs and planted his palms firmly down on the table. "And butter! So much butter!" He let out a sort of maniacal giggle.

"Can I have meat?" Connor piped up, the only child sitting still in his seat.

"I want peanut butter too." Desmond added, interrupting Ezio who was about to speak.

"I want bananas and caramel and pecans." Ezio said, his eyes wide and excited for the delicious meal, a half smile playing on his lips.

Altaïr set to work assembling the desired pancakes and dishing them out. It didn't take long for the littlest two to make a mess, mashing up and spreading their food around before finally eating it. Altaïr groaned at the thought of cleaning the sticky materiel off them before they had to go to preschool.

When breakfast was over Altaïr cleaned them up the table and the boys and the readied them for preschool, which was really just so Altaïr didn't have to worry about them while he was at work. He scrubbed the sticky syrup from Clay's and Desmond's skin, regretting now making pancakes. Next he had to coerce the two vibrating demons into suitable clothes to leave the house in, wrestling them to stay still long enough.

"Okay! Everyone, out to the car!" he ordered once all the boys were ready for their respective schools.

The boys obeyed and filed out to the silver-blue minivan that Altair had recently inherited. Connor and Ezio climbed into their seats without much of a fuss, but the youngest had to be forced into their booster seats and strapped in manually by Altair. When that was done, he got into the driver's seat and headed off. He could tell already that this day would be just as tiring as all the others.


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoo! Another chapter! I'm so proud of this story, it's going great and I'm having so much fun. Ahem, Zelink, to answer your question, yes, Malik will be along with us very shortly. He he he. All in do time...All in do time.**

**So! I hope you enjoy this new installment of my terribly titled fic. **

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_"You're their last living relative. If you don't assume responsibility of them, I'll be forced to take them into foster care."_

_Altaïr sighed and leaned back, his back ached in response to being bend over for so long. His entire body and mind felt sore and weary, all he really wanted was to just fall into his bed and sleep. But he doubted he would be sleeping anytime soon._

_The room he was in was unfamiliar. It was an office with a nice dark desk, a comfortable looking armchair, a stuffed bookcase, and a closed and shaded window, letting in little light. The only illumination came from a lamp in the corner. Leaning on the desk was the room's occupant, Abbas Sofian. The social worker had his lips pursed and his eyebrows held in a firm, slightly slanted line as he stared upon the young man before him. Altaïr himself sat in a chair that seemed far too uncomfortable, but that could be that nothing would seem comfortable to him at the time. His elbows perched on the armrests and his fingers knit together, covering his mouth. His face was long and drawn out from the hardships that he'd endured, and continued to endure, as of late._

_"Well, Mr. Ibn-La'Ahad?" Mr. Sofian said impatiently._

_Altaïr lifted his head that had drooped to look at the floor and dropped his arms to rest on his thighs. What choice did he have? He couldn't-wouldn't just abandon them._

_"Okay." he finally spoke, his voice ragged and dry from not being used for many hours._

_Mr. Sofian nodded, accepting his answer._

_"You'll assume ownership of the house, the car, and be listed as the legal guardian of the four of them. I hope you know what you're doing." Mr. Sofian told him sternly, his hard eyes studying Altaïr's face closely._

_"Me too." Altaïr agreed._

* * *

The first stop was the elementary school where Connor and Ezio were deposited. Their older brother offered them a brief goodbye before driving off. Next was the preschool where Altaïr all but hurled Clay and Desmond at the teacher before making his escape. The final stop was Altaïr's first job which was the pharmacy at the back of Walmart.

Altaïr pulled into the parking lot and near sprinted through the store to the pharmacy. Once behind the counter he grabbed one of the mandatory white aprons and barely had it tied around his waist before he heard a loud voice bark behind him.

"You're late, Ibn-La'Ahad." Altair's boss snapped harshly.

"Sorry, Rashid, I-"

"It's Mr. ad-Din Sinan to you, boy." _Mr. ad-Din Sinan_ corrected him. "And I won't tolerate your excuses any longer. Keep this up and you'll be fired within the month. Understood?"

Altaïr sighed quietly before responding. "Yes."

"Yes...?"

"Yes, Mr. ad-Din Sinan."

Rashid narrowed his eyes at Altaïr, trying to detect sarcasm in his words, then, upon failing that, stalked off.

"Hello, Altair." a voice, vastly more pleasant than the last, spoke behind Altair.

Altaïr turned back around and found Rauf there on the other side of the counter. Rauf was a good friend of Altaïr's and worked at the small store. Currently he was stocking a shelf full of bandaids.

"Hey, Rauf." he returned the greeting.

"Rough day already, huh?" Rauf said sympathetically.

Altair shrugged. "It seems like they all are nowadays." he sighed.

Rauf offered him a cheerful smile. "Don't worry, things'll turn up soon." he promised.

"I really hope you're right."

Altair hated his job. True it probably wouldn't be half as bad if he had a better boss, but still, stocking and selling medicine was the most boring job Altaïr could fathom. The only reason he hadn't quit yet was because he couldn't afford to. As it was, Altaïr worked two jobs to support his family and he still struggled. Without the education to land a better job than those he had already, he had to deal with low wages and crappy work environments for the good of his brothers. The things he did for family.

By lunchtime Altaïr was so ready for a break. His feet ached from standing so long and he was bored as hell. He checked out and stepped outside into the fresh air of March. Spring was so close you could nearly taste it. The plants were beginning to regrow, new shoots popping up all over, and downpours of rain had begun, much to Altaïr distaste.

Altaïr was standing silently and thinking about where he wanted to eat when his phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

"_Still a broke mofo?_" Maria's voice came.

"Unless I won the lottery while my back was turned, yes. What do you want, Maria?" he answered dryly.

"_I'm in a cafe not far from your work. You should be on lunch break by now, right? You should come by and eat._"

"Okay, I'll be over in a couple minutes. What cafe is it?"

"_Shark's bait._"

"That's a crappy name."

"_I didn't choose it. Anyway, you might want to come fast before I eat without you."_

"Kay, bye." Altair hung up.

God bless Maria. Bless Maria and her beautiful precious soul that took pity on poor bums like Altaïr. How Maria managed to treat him to so many lunches with only a measly job at McDonald's, Altair couldn't fathom.

It was a short drive to the destined cafe and Altaïr hardly had to step inside before Maria was waving him over to a booth towards the back. Altair swiftly came over and took a seat with a sigh.

"God, I'm so hungry." he said.

"About time you got here." Maria greeted with a smirk.

"It took me like two minutes." Altair snorted with a roll of his eyes.

"I already ordered for you. Hope you like burgers."

"Oh, I love you." Altair sighed happily, slumping back in his seat.

Maria had been one of Altair's closest friends since high school, and certainly one of the few who'd stayed friends. The girl was a perfect balance for Altair's stubborn, arrogant personality. They had always been close but over the past few months with the death of Altaïr's parents, Maria had become a huge moral supporter for the new caretaker. Almost every day now she came by to babysit the boys while Altair attended his second job and was always ready to lend a hand. Altair relayed on her more than he cared to admit.

It wasn't much longer before a friendly waiter came by and gave them their meals. Altair hungrily pounced on the provided burger and groaned in pleasure at the magnificent taste. Having four little boys to take care of, Altair often ended up eating kids food and junk food for most meals so this, an actual meal from a restaurant, was like divine ambrosia. Altair felt like he was eating like a king.

A giggle from Maria brought Altair's gaze and mind away from the food at hand.

"Whut?" he asked through a mouthful of burger.

"You look like an animal." Maria said, bemused.

Altair wiped the ketchup and traces of lettuce from his face with the back of his hand.

"Shaddup, I'm 'eally hungry." Altair retorted in a muffled voice, a frown on his face.

Maria just chuckled again. "Don't you ever eat?"

"Sometimes," Altair took a second to swallow. "Nothing this good though."

"I guess that makes me your guardian angel." Maria grinned and held up her arms in a benevolent gesture.

"Ha, ha." Altair rolled his eyes. "There's no such thing."

The two went back to eating their meals. Altair finished much sooner than Maria and entertained himself by doodling on a napkin. When Maria finally finished she paid and walked him out to his car.

"Back to work then, huh?" she said unenthusiastically.

"Yeah. You still up for babysitting later?" Altair asked, opening the door to his ride.

"Aren't I always." she countered with a smirk.

"Heh, thanks. See ya later."

"Bye."

Maria went to her own car while Altair climbed in his. It didn't take long for him to return to Walmart and back to his job. Upon arrival he noticed that someone was waiting impatiently at the counter, tapping his fingers away on the counter. Altair quickly hurried behind the counter and slipped his apron on.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, what do you need?" he said rather hurriedly.

The man waiting didn't seem impressed by the meager apology. He had short brown hair that was held away from his face with a clip at the top of his head, illuminating his fantastic, jagged eyebrows and brown eyes. He silently handed over a prescription that he held. Altair took the paper, gave it a quick once over and went to go retrieve the desired medication.

"Do you always come to work with lunch on your face?" the man asked, his tone sore.

"Huh?" Altair reached up and wiped some sort of sauce from his face. He offered the waiting man an unashamed smile. "Just got back from break." he explained. The man rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you've never gotten a little messy eating." Altair demanded, casting the man a disbelieving glance.

"Of course not, I'm not a child. I know how to eat without getting food everywhere." he replied indignantly.

"Well okay, Mr. Perfect." Altair snorted.

The man narrowed his brown eyes at Altair, a motion he only caught out of the corner of his eye.

"How about you just get me my prescription." he snapped.

"No wonder you're grouchy." Altair noted, reading the paper again.

"That has nothing to do with why I'm grouchy and besides, it's none of your damn business why I'm grouchy anyway." the man huffed. Altair could clearly see he'd hit a nerve and backed off, deciding it was probably best to try and _not_ tick off his customers.

Finally uncovered the requested medication, Altair snatched up a bottle and brought it back to the counter, slapping it down.

"There you are," he glanced to the prescription. "Mr. Al-Sayf." Altair practically sneered the name.

The man, Al-Sayf, narrowed his eyes at Altair as he snatched up the bottle, and then stormed off. Good riddance, Altair thought. He hated having to deal with customers like that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay, time to have fun with the little ones. I myself have a large family with _plenty _of little annoying kids, so it's fun to sorta incorporate things that happen at home with these little devils. Also Clay and Dessy are freakin adorable.**

**On to more important things, thank you all for the favs, follows, and reviews. I'm glad that (so far) this story is well received and I hope you will all continue to enjoy the fun shenanigans I have in store.**

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After having lunch with Maria, Altaïr went back to work for several more hours before it was time to pick up the younger boys from school. Altaïr headed over to the preschool and, once inside, found the two waiting in the classroom like always with the other kids, only this time Desmond was sitting grumpily in the corner. The preschool teacher motioned for Altaïr to come over to her desk and he did so.

"What did the little shit do now?" he asked, casting Desmond an accusing look. The little boy caught the look and tried to shrink smaller into his corner.

"That, Mr. Ibn-La'Ahad, is exactly the problem." the teacher replied with a slight frown. "Desmond was caught swearing."

"Swearing? What did he say?" Altaïr asked, his lips twisting slightly in amusement.

"He said," She glanced around before lowering her voice and whispering. "The F word."

Altaïr struggled to hold back a laugh at the middle aged woman's behavior. "Oh?" was all he could manage without cracking an all out smile.

She nodded mournfully. "I'm afraid so. Now, sir, since we don't use that kind of language around here, I can only think that he must have picked it up on TV...or at home perhaps." She gave him an almost accusatory look. "I suggest you monitor a little more closely the things he hears."

Altaïr had to fight back violent urges that rose up at her words. Was this woman trying to tell him how to act around his brothers?!

"How about you take your suggestion and shove it up your ass." he snapped.

Without waiting for the teacher's reaction, Altaïr stalked over, picked up Desmond and Clay, then hauled them outside to the car. He angrily strapped them into their seats and took off for home, since the older boys wouldn't be out for another hour. They had been driving along for several quiet minutes before Desmond's wavering voice broke the silence.

"Are you angry because I said a bad word?" Desmond asked quietly.

"Yes!" Clay told him with a vigorous nod. "He's soooo mad! He's going to lock you in your room for ever and ever and ever!" He wiggled his fingers at Desmond and made a scary face.

"Waaaah! I'm sorry Alty, I won't do it again!" he wailed, covering his face.

"I'm not angry at you!" Altaïr snapped. He sighed and worked to clear his expression of the frown that had settled on his face since the school. "I'm not, promise. I'm angry at your stupid teacher."

"Mrs. Britsby?" Desmond inquired softly.

"Yeah, she's a bitch." Altair confirmed.

"What's a bitch?" Clay asked rather loudly.

"Um...a bitch is a...female dog." Altaïr quickly covered up.

"But, Mrs. Britsby isn't a dog." Desmond said with a slight frown.

"Yes, she is." Altaïr argued reasonably. "She's a werewolf."

Clay and Desmond gave a collective gasp, their eyes widening at the revelation.

"No!" Desmond swore.

"Yes." Altaïr insisted with a nod. "That's why she's so mean."

"I knew it." Clay muttered quietly, making Altaïr smile in satisfaction.

When they finally arrived home, the little boys burst forth into the house and immediately ran off to their room. Fine by Altair. He needed some time to relax anyway. He closed the door behind him and gave a sigh. Only a few more hours before he'd be back to work. It seemed he was in a vicious cycle. Get up, get the boys off to school, work, get home, take care of the boys, work, get home, sleep, wake up, and on and on and on. An endless rollercoaster that Altair desperately wanted a break from. He wondered if things would ever be easy again, like Rauf had suggested.

Altair sluggishly toed off his shoes and flicked them off his feet, not caring where they might land. He peeled off his jacket and left it on the back of the couch, it's not like he wouldn't be using it again in a few hours so why bother putting it away? He plopped heavily down on the couch and sighed, letting his body relax into the once soft cushions. A stray spring poked uncomfortably into his back and made him squirm away from the discomfort. Looks like its about time to get a new couch. Altair wondered when he could spare the money.

Suddenly the piercing cry of Altair's phone sounded from his coat pocket. What now? Couldn't he rest for five minutes?

The young adult forced himself to roll over to the coat and fish the vibrating cell phone from its pocket.

"What?" he answered irritably.

"It's Mr. Sofian." a voice answered, sounding displeased by Altair's attitude.

"Mr. Sofian? What are you calling for?" Altair straightened on the couch and replied with audible surprise.

"I was just reminding you of the home visit for later this week. I will be coming by to see how things are going." the social worker answered in a smooth, even tone.

Altair's gut twisted. He glanced around the living room in its current state. It was a complete mess with clothes strewn about, toys practically coating the ground, dishes cluttered the coffee table, and various electronics occupied the one computer table with its few remaining chairs. If Sofian saw the house like this, he would take away the boys in a heartbeat.

"Two o'clock sharp on Friday, if you do recall." Mr. Sofian's sharp voice brought Altair's mind back to the conversation.

"Sure, see you then." Altair responded quickly, and then hung up.

He groaned and covered his face with his hands. He had completely forgotten that the home visit was this week, and in three days no less. Altair would have to spend all of his free time cleaning the house and preparing and-oh the _boys_, to keep them under control for the whole visit would be a nightmare! How was he going to get through this week?

"Alty." Desmond called, appearing at his side.

Altair pulled out of himself enough to see his youngest brother beside him, a full cup of water clutched in his hands.

"What's up, little guy?" Altair asked, trying to keep the crushing stress out of his voice.

"I brought you a drink." He proudly held up the plastic cup of water.

"Oh, thanks, Des."

Altaïr took the cup and downed the water. Desmond grinned broadly, satisfied that he'd done good, and took the cup back, quickly scurrying off back to his room.

The newly appointed guardian imagined if something went wrong with the home visit. What if Sofian decided Altair wasn't good enough? What if he took the boys away? The four might annoy the shit out of Altair only all the time, but that didn't change the fact that they were his brothers and he loved them dearly. If they were gone...he didn't know what he'd do.

Desmond returned bearing another water filled cup a minute later.

"I got you more."

Altaïr drank once more, his mind on more important matters.

If the four brothers went to Foster Care, they'd most likely be split up and that would be even worse than if they just lost Altair. The golden eyed boy took a minute to think about it and came to the conclusion that the boys probably wouldn't miss him all too much. After all, before the death of their parents, Altair had pretty much treated the younger boys like shit, being a man of his own and no longer tied to home. The boys certainly hadn't taken well to their older brother suddenly being in charge of everything and Altair was almost sure they wouldn't mind him losing that power.

Desmond was back again with, of course, another cup of water. Altair frowned as he slowly took the cup. Where was Desmond getting all this water? The kitchen was in the opposite direction of the boys' room where Desmond had been returning to.

"Hey, Desmond, where are you getting the water?" he asked suspiciously.

"The toilet." Desmond replied happily.

Altaïr spewed his drink.

"Nasty!" he exclaimed.

He ran into the kitchen, quickly getting fresh water to wash away the toilet water. After he had thoroughly rinsed his mouth he turned back to the confused little boy.

"Why were you getting water from the toilet?!" he spat.

Desmond just looked bewildered at Altaïr's reaction. "Clay says you like the water from there." he answered innocently, shaking the now empty cup.

"CLAY!" Altaïr growled, his head snapping in the direction of the bedroom.

A squeal came from the other room along with a crash, most likely the sounds of a certain five year old trying to escape the monster he was sure would come after him. Nothing would save him from Altair's wrath.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this has been progressing so slowly XO I promise the drama will set in soon. Also I am so so so sorry I haven't included Connor or Ezio much yet (I find it really hard to write them for some reason) but I'll try to put them in more, promise! Thanks as always for the favs, follows, and reviews! Love you all!**

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It was another hour before Ezio and Connor climbed off the school bus after it had screeched to a halt by their house. The two boys walked inside chatting cheerfully and smiling. Frantic squeals came from the boy's room and Connor and Ezio found the living room void of anyone. Curious, they wandered into the room they shared with their other brothers to find the source of the commotion. It was there they came upon Altair who had Clay pinned to the toy strew ground and tickled him mercilessly.

"You ready to say it now?" Altair taunted.

"Okay, okay!" Clay cried madly between uncontrollable giggles. His little body twisted and contorted, but there was no escape from Altair's onslaught.

"Uncle! Uncle!" the blonde howled.

Altair finally released him, smirking triumphantly as he stood. It wasn't until then that he noticed the new onlookers.

"When'd you get home?" he asked.

"Just now." Ezio answered. His face showed his amusement at the scene he had been greeted with and he looked to Altair. "What did he do?"

"The little punk was feeding me toilet water." Altair replied.

Ezio couldn't help but laugh and even Connor cracked a smile.

"And you fell for it?" Ezio asked incredulously.

"Yeah, and I'll make you drink from the toilet too if you don't drop it." Altair threatened.

Ezio gave a little squeak and quickly vanished from the doorway, running off to some other corner of the house.

"Hello." Connor greeted docilely.

"Hey," Altair replied. "How was school?"

Connor gave a shrug. "Fine." he answered.

"Sounds exciting." Altair said sarcastically.

The two walked together back out into the main part of the house.

"It was...kinda." Connor slowly admitted, a slight blush touching his cheeks.

Altair cast him a sly look.

"Something happen?" he questioned.

"There is a, uh, a new girl in class." Connor muttered sheepishly, looking away.

A slow, knowing smile split Altair's face. "You like her, don't you." he concluded.

"No!" Connor burst out, his face turning a brighter shade of red. "Well...maybe a little." he confessed.

"What's her name?"

"Aveline." he sighed wistfully. "Aveline de Grandpre."

Altair couldn't help but think it cute how Connor looked so love struck. The sweet little boy didn't yet know how cruel and merciless romance could be. Altair should know. It had been over two years since he'd been in a steady relationship and he hadn't had much action since then. Again and again Maria had tried to get Altair to start dating, but now with the boys under his wing, it was difficult to find time for many recreational activities, least of all dating. Altair didn't think he'd want to be in a relationship right now anyway, it was much too much work.

The hours past quickly, far more quickly than Altair desired, and soon enough it was time for Altair's second job. When Maria arrived to babysit, all the boys were gathered at the couch playing video games. A knock at the door was what brought Altair's attention away from the flashing images on screen.

"Ezio, pause the game." Altaïr requested.

"Nope." was the devious little boy's answer.

"Agh, you asshole." he cursed, tossing his controller to the side and heading to the door.

When Altaïr opened the door Maria was waiting there.

"Great, you're here, come on in." he welcomed her into the house.

Maria stepped inside and set her backpack down by the door.

"Hey, boys." she called to the four still glued to the TV. A chorus of hellos came up from the zombies. Maria chuckled and rolled her eyes.

Altaïr ignored the exchange as he hurried around collecting his coat and keys. When he was ready he went to the door.

"Maria, you already know the routine, I'll see you at seven." he said.

"Have fun at work." she teased.

"Yeah, right." Altaïr rolled his eyes then darted out the door.

Altaïr's second job was as a barista at a Starbucks. This job wasn't half as bad as the pharmacy. His boss, Robert De Sable, was a fairly decent guy, or at least Altaïr presumed. The man was hardly ever around and didn't seem to care about the goings on when he was, so the place wasn't too tightly strung. It was actually almost amiable to fulfill orders for various drinks. Altaïr liked to show off for the customers and nearly always received cheers and often tips for his efforts. But the usually enjoyable job was marred by the appearance of a certain brown haired male that Altair thought he'd left in the past.

"Oh, _you_ again." Altair greeted dully.

"What, lost your job at the pharmacy?" Al-Sayf returned sourly.

"No." Altair snapped. "_For your information,_ I have two jobs."

"I don't care." Al-Sayf responded bluntly. He ordered and Altair has never filled an order so quickly. The grumpy customer gave a curt 'thank you' and left, much to Altair's pleasure. As he watched the other exit the store he couldn't help but think how strange it was to have seen the man twice in one day, odd, but not unheard of. Just a rare coincidence.

The rest of the day passed sluggishly and it seemed an eternity later by the time Altaïr climbed into his car and returned home. The younger boys had long since fallen asleep on the floor, curled up together under a blanket, and Connor and Ezio were playing old maid. Maria greeted him upon his arrival and gathered her things to leave. Altaïr paid her as always and bid her goodnight before she departed.

By now Altaïr was tired from working all day, but he still had work to do. The brunette put on an apron and headed to the kitchen to make dinner. Tonight was Ezio's turn to choose the meal and he had picked spaghetti. Altaïr went about the kitchen and gathered the ingredients. He moved about mechanically, working in a funk. By this time everyday he was wore out and just wanted to eat. After hardly getting started, he decided it wasn't worth it and botched the meal, opting for pizza instead. None of the boys complained.

Another couple hours later the house had settled into a lazy state where the boys wound down for the night before going to bed. The kids were off playing quietly in their room and gave Altair the quiet he needed to complete the paperwork set out before him. Since Sofian would be coming by for a home visit, it was Altair's job to file the proper paperwork that gave an analysis for the boys' home life conditions. He sighed as he stared dully down at the papers. He _hated _paperwork work with a fiery passion.

"Alty." Desmond called, padding up to Altair's side.

Altair was to engulfed in his work to notice.

Desmond tugged on Altair's sleeve.

"Alty."

Altair grumbled something and shook the boy off, muttering about how he was busy. But the boy persisted. He continued to pull on Altair's sleeve and poke him.

"Alty, I drew a picture for you." Desmond insisted.

"Desmond!" Altair snapped, glaring over at the little boy. "I'm working right now and I don't have time for your stupid picture!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

Desmond's eyes watered and his lip quivered. "O-okay..." he managed, then turned to leave.

"Wait, Desmond, come back." Altair called, getting to his feet.

The four year old reluctantly halted at the mouth of the hallway that led to his room. Altair knelt down before him and tried to give him a little smile.

"I want to see your drawing."

"But you said it was stupid." Desmond whimpered quietly.

"I know, but I really wanna see it." Altair recurred.

Desmond finally lifted the now slightly crumpled piece of paper he had been holding and showed it to Altair. The older boy took it and looked at the stick figures that cluttered the page along with a bright yellow sun and green grass.

"Who are the people?" he asked.

"This is you, this is Connor, this is Ezzy, this is Clay, this is me, and this is mommy and daddy." Desmond pointed to each figure in turn.

Altair felt that special well of sadness inside him that had been created especially for their parents open up a little. His gaze softened as he stared at the poor depiction of their mother and father.

"I miss them." Desmond said softly.

"Me too." Altair sighed.

"C'mon, you wanna put this on the fridge?"

Desmond nodded. Altair took the younger's hand and led him to their small, currently dirty, kitchen. The fridge already was cluttered with various drawings, some by Desmond, others by Clay or Connor, sometimes even works by Ezio, and other things like pizza coupons or important phone numbers to remember. Desmond selected an older drawing and pulled it off, letting it flutter to the ground and took its magnet. With the new magnet, Altair attached the family photo to the fridge. Desmond smiled, pleased by his work. Altair wondered how long it would be until the boys stopped adding their parents to family pictures.


	5. Chapter 5

**Things are amping up~ Thanks for the support everyone, your nice reviews really help encourage me :D Love ya all!**

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The repetitive beeping of an alarm clock woke Altair bright and early, urging him to get up and get to work. He groaned as he slapped the top of the clock, shutting off the earsplitting sound. Another day, another cycle. It seemed each was the same as the last. Altair got up and prepared the boys as always and sent them off to school, heading off to his own personal hell.

"Good morning, Altair." Rauf greeted him upon the man's arrival at Wal-Mart.

"Oh, hello, Rauf." he replied dully.

Rauf surveyed the tired looking man. Altair had dark bags under his eyes from staying up late the night before doing paperwork and walked in an almost zombie like state as he made his way to the back of the store and behind the pharmacy counter.

"Rough night?" Rauf guessed, feeling a pang of pity for his friend.

"Aren't they all?" Altair replied.

He tied on his apron and set to work. Work was slow that day and very few customers came to Altair's counter. He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. On the upside, he didn't have to deal with any annoying people, but on the downside it made things very boring. That was until Al-Sayf came around the corner and started shopping around the medical supplies.

"You in love with me or something?" Altair called out, causing the brunette to look in his direction. "You can't seem to leave me alone."

Al-Sayf screwed up his face in his usual frown, pursing his lips and turning away.

"I'm not going to avoid going to the store just so I don't have to see you." he replied curtly.

"Don't be ashamed to admit it, Al-Sayf." Altair purred, taking great amusement at the glare that he got in return. "S'cool if you're already falling for me after just two meetings, but at least ask a guy out on a date first." he joked.

"My name's Malik, asshole, and there's no way I'm associating myself with a creep like _you_."

"Ouch. You stay up all night thinking that one up?"

Malik shook with rage. He angrily snatched up a box of butterfly bandages and spun on his heel to leave, but Altair called out to him.

"If you buy those back here you get a discount." he said nonchalantly.

Malik gave him a suspicious look. Altair shrugged. He sighed and came over to the counter, putting the box down.

"Whatever, just make it quick, I'm in a hurry." he snapped.

"What, got some life threatening crisis that needs butterfly bandages?" Altair scoffed, ringing up the item.

"None of your god damn business."

Altair finished ringing up the box and put it in a bag, taking the money Malik offered. Malik looked at his receipt and frowned.

"You fucking liar."

Altair smirked and shrugged. "What can I say?"

Malik scoffed and stalked off. Altair was left feeling slightly satisfied that he had managed the apparently not too difficult feat of pissing the shorter male off. He had to admit it was kinda cute the way his face went red and those eyebrows smashed together-Wait, what? No, not cute. Altair shook his head. He wasn't gay. Or...at least he never _thought_ he was. He had only been with women and he'd never been attracted to a man before-Ugh, he meant _at all_. Especially not some moody, pissy pants that he'd talked to all of three times. He knew he hadn't slept enough when he was thinking about stuff like _this._

Luckily lunch break came soon and he rendezvoused with Maria at Shark's bait (What a stupid name.) The meal was pleasant and this time Altair proudly paid for it. His most recent pay check had finally been transferred to his account and he actually had some money for once, putting him in a bit better of a mood than earlier.

"So I can't babysit tonight." Maria said as she picked at the last of her food.

"Why not?" Altair almost whined. He would need a babysitter in just a few hours and he couldn't exactly find a good replacement in that time.

"Relax," Maria quickly calmed him. "A chick I work with can't come in so I have to fill in for her tonight, but I know this guy that can sit for you."

Altair didn't looked convinced with her claim. He pursed his lips and crossed his arms. "Who?" he dared ask.

"He's name's Kadar. He's a super sweet guy, college student, trust me, the boys will love him and I'll vouch that he's not a creep." Maria vowed.

Altair groaned and slowly lowered his head to the table with a soft bang.

"Why do you hate me?" he moaned.

"Don't be a baby."

Altair sighed and lifted his head. "Fine. I guess if you say this Kadar is alright, send him by at the usual time.

Maria watched him carefully for a minute. "Maybe he should come by a little early so you can get some rest." she suggested gently.

"I'm fine, Maria." Altair tried for a little smile. "Promise."

* * *

"Ezio, get the door!" Altair called as he stepped out of the shower. From the bathroom he could hear the knocking at the door. Altair hurried to dry off and dress. Once that was done he went out to the door. Standing there was Ezio, his hand still on the doorknob, and a young man in the doorway. He had messy black hair, bright blue eyes, and a friendly smile. The man looked up when he spotted Altair.

"Are you Altair?" he asked. "I'm Kadar, Maria's friend."

"Oh, the babysitter. Yeah, c'mon in."

Kadar came into the house and Ezio closed the door behind him. He looked around the place with bright, curious eyes, innocent looking, Altair would say.

"So Maria said you're a college student?" Altair asked absently as he fished around for his things before heading to work.

"Yes, I'm working to become a doctor." Kadar answered, his head snapping back to Altair.

"Okay, so I've really gotta get going soon..." Altair ripped a list off the fridge and handed it over. "This is the usual routine, but really just make sure they don't die and you're good. Boys!"

At Altair's call the other three boys that had been playing in their room came running. They quickly stopped when they saw the newcomer.

"Guys, this is Kadar. Kadar, these are the boys; Ezio, Connor, Clay, and Desmond." He gave the youngest a pat on the head as he said his name. "Alright, ya little shits, this is your new babysitter for tonight-"

"But I want aunt Maria!" Clay complained, puffing out his lip.

Altair glared at him. "Maria has to work late today so you'll have to deal with it. You all better listen to him, alright?"

He gave them all stern looks until they had all mumbled some version of okay. Satisfied, Altair went to the door.

"I'll be back at seven." he informed the new sitter.

"Okay." Kadar replied with a firm nod. "I've got everything under control."

Altair wasn't so sure. The guy looked like a real softy and his boys, yes they were his, were troublesome at best and devilish at worst. Altair wasn't convinced that Kadar could handle them. But Maria had vouched for him so he must be of _some _use. Too late to turn back now anyway.

With one last goodbye to the boys, Altair rushed out the door.

* * *

Late again. Crap. Altair hurried into the little coffee shop, soaking wet. He had been unfortunate enough to get caught in a sudden spring shower without an umbrella or hood of any kind. Just his fucking luck. Guess he didn't need that shower earlier after all, Altair thought bitterly. He entered Starbucks and stripped off his jacket, gratefully excepting a towel from a coworker and dried off. Once he was dry, Altair set to work.

Things went smoothly as they always did here until the end of the work day when De Sable arrived. Altair hardly looked up at the sight of his boss. De Sable hardly ever came to the shop and when he did he never caused much trouble. That changed today.

"Altair." he said firmly.

Altair looked up from the order he was currently making .

"I'd like to speak to you privately." Robert said, his arms crossed and his eyes zeroed in on Altair alone.

"Uh...sure." He passed off what he was working on to one of his coworkers and followed Robert out the back door. To be honest, he was a little nervous. He couldn't think of anything wrong he'd done at this job for a while, so what would De Sable want to talk about?

"So," Robert started as soon as they were outside. "I heard about the theft incident a few weeks ago."

Yes, Altair remembered the theft incident clearly. It started three weeks ago when tips and money from the register started going missing. A short investigation ensued but they still haven't caught the asshole who's been stealing from the shop and by extension the workers' wages.

"What about it?" Altair ventured to ask, even more on guard now.

"I'm aware that your financial situation is a bit unsteady. Some people have suggested that you have the motive to commit these thefts."

Altair's blood went cold. Robert was accusing _him_ of stealing? He felt rage bubbling up from within at the accusation. How _dare_ he even _suggest_ that? Altair wasn't some petty thief! He worked harder than anyone else here! His body shook slightly with the suppressed anger.

"_Sir_, I assure you, I didn't do it." Altair managed through gritted teeth. His fists curled at his sides.

"Sorry, Altair," De Sable said dully. "The company wants someone to blame. Someone needs to take the fall and you drew the short straw. Your job here ends at the end of the day."

Altair couldn't move. He was frozen on the spot. No...No! He couldn't lose his job! He needed this money, especially with Sofian coming by in only a few days. Altair reached out and grabbed Robert's arm before he could return inside.

"Please, Mr. De Sable...I _need_ this job." he begged.

De Sable gave him an uncaring look and shook out of his grip. He silently went back inside, leaving Altair behind in despair.


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't know about you guys, but this chapter feels a little sub-par to me. Sorry bout that. Anyway, since spring break is here and I got a really great game I've been waiting for (InFamous second son, yes!) I probably won't update as regularly for a little while (so sorry!) just to warn you guys. But I hope you're all enjoying the story, thanks for the favs/follows/reviews.**

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"I'm home." Altair called halfheartedly as he walked through the front door.

"Altair!" Ezio yelled and came tearing around the corner. He stumbled to a stop in front of his older brother and took a second to catch his breath.

"Don't listen to him!" Connor's shout followed shortly after. The brown eyed boy tumbled around the corner and slammed right into Ezio and brought them both to the floor. "It's all lies!" he swore.

"It is not!" Ezio argued, punching Connor. The little bear growled at that and the scene quickly devolved into a brawl. Altair watched with bored eyes, having seen this same scenario play out a thousand times.

"Kadar, where are you?" Altair lifted his head to holler.

"Oh, I'm in the bathroom cleaning up the boys. They sprayed ketchup all over each other." Kadar's reply came from down the hall. "Do you mind if I stick around to finish."

"Be my guest." Altair gladly agreed. Cleaning up naughty little boys was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

Sighing, Altair stepped around the tangle that his brothers had made their bodies out of and walked into the living room. He dumped off his shoes and jacket and left them to fester on the rug. With an oof he landed on the uncomfortable couch.

What the hell was he supposed to do now? Even working two jobs money had been tight, but now that Altair had lost one, how was he going to pay the bills, take care of the boys? Altair ran a hand over his face. Not to mention Sofian would be coming around in just two days and it certainly wouldn't look good that Altair had recently gotten fired. Altair supposed he'd have to start looking for a new job.

Just a few minutes after Altair's arrival, there was a knock at the door. Altair groaned and hauled himself up, slouching over to the door. Along the way he gave the boys a kick and shooed them off to their room. Altair flung open the door and found himself staring at Malik fucking Al-Sayf.

"Okay, this is getting creepy now. You some kind of stalker?" he demanded, giving the visitor a glare.

"Don't look at me, I'm just as unthrilled to be here as you are. I came to pick up my brother Kadar, he's babysitting for you." Malik replied, crossing his arms.

Altair sighed. Did he ever mention he has terrible luck?

"He's giving the boys a bath right now, he should be done in a few minutes. I guess you can come in until then." Altair relented, opening the door farther.

Looking like he really didn't want to be doing what he was doing, Malik stepped inside. He slowly looked around much like his brother had but with a more disapproving look.

"Your place is a dump." he noted.

"Really? I can hardly tell." Altair muttered. He was way too tired to fight with Malik right now. The best thing to do was just act half way decent until this weird stalker was out of his home.

"Want some coffee?" he offered.

Malik shrugged.

Altair took that as a yes and led the way to the kitchen. He filled up the coffee maker and started up the brew. The two men stood in silence while the coffee painstakingly dripped into the pot.

"So...What's your name anyway?" Malik finally asked.

Altair couldn't help but be amused at the fact that Malik truly honestly had no idea who he was. For half a second he toyed with the idea of not telling the other.

"Altair." he eventually shared. "Ibn-La'Ahad."

"So, Altair, all the boys are yours?" there was a spark of genuine curiosity in Malik's ice breaker.

"Not...exactly." God, Altair really hated having to explain this to people. "They're my brothers."

"Twenty and still living with your parents?" Malik said in a half teasing way.

Altair gave him a dull, uncaring look that he saved for special occasions when he really couldn't be bothered to get angry. "They're dead, actually. I take care of the boys now." it was said flatly, a fact, nothing more.

"Oh." Malik immediately looked guilty and pursed his lips.

Another quiet minute passed and the coffee machine beeped to announce that the beverage was ready. Altair poured two cups of coffee, Malik requesting it black and Altair putting a little cream in his. He handed one to Malik and claimed the other as his own.

"What is it you do anyway?" he asked, cradling the warm mug in his hands.

Malik took a deep sip of his drink before answering. "I'm a full time college student. I hope to someday become a lawyer."

"That's quite the ambition." Altair noted. "You a lawyer, your brother a doctor...Mom and Pop must be proud." Altair tried and mostly failed to hide the edge of jealousy that tainted his voice.

Malik shrugged. "I wouldn't know, I haven't talked to them in years."

The silence crept up again, but it wasn't as awkward somehow. For some reason Altair felt oddly content just sitting here with Malik. He noticed that the man's face was cute when he was so docile like this-No! He said he wouldn't think about that.

All the sudden a buck naked Desmond ran through the kitchen, squealing in delight. Both Malik's and Altair's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the uncommon occurrence.

"No, wait, come back!" Kadar called, coming running after carrying a towel. He stopped in the kitchen and bent over, trying to catch his breath.

"Sorry...He just...slipped away from me." he managed between breathes.

After a second Kadar straightened and noticed his brother.

"Oh, Malik! I didn't know you were here. Just give me another minute to get the boys dressed." Kadar said.

"Take your time." Malik replied with a small smile.

He grinned after his brother as Kadar dashed off to go seek out one nude boy, possibly two. Altair chuckled and took another drink of his coffee.

"He's good with those little demons." Altair noted.

"Kadar's always been good with kids." Malik agreed.

"If he's ever up for babysitting again, I'd love to use him." Altair said.

"I'll make sure to let him know. Kadar's always looking for jobs to help pay for college."

"Ugh, right, there's _that_." Altair groaned, mostly to himself, remembering his loss of a job.

"_That_ what?" Malik asked, raising his eyebrow slightly.

"Nothing," Altair huffed. "I lost one of my jobs today."

"Sorry to hear it. Which one?"

"Starbucks."

"You know..." Malik began hesitantly. "If you were interested, I could talk to a friend who might be able to land you a job at the zoo."

"The _zoo._" Altair clarified.

Malik smirked at his reaction. "Don't worry, it doesn't take much skill, as long as you can heave a shovel."

"Gross." Altair scrunched up his nose."So...you're saying _you_ are going to help _me_, as in do something nice? Who are you and what have you done with Malik?"

Malik rolled his eyes and gave Altair a light push. "I have been known to be nice on occasion."

Altair sobered up and gave Malik a small smile. "Thanks, man, I appreciate it."

Kadar came into the kitchen then with a fully clothed Desmond under his arm.

"Okay, I'm ready to go." he announced cheerfully, setting the child down.

"Let me get your money." Altair said. He set down his coffee cup and went to go retrieve his wallet from his jacket pocket. He paid Kadar the agreed upon amount at the door.

"Your boys are great, Altair, I'd love to babysit them again sometime." Kadar said with a smile.

"I think...that is the first time ever a babysitter has ever said that to me. Like, _ever._"

Kadar chuckled. "They are a bit of a handful, but they're good kids. Anyway, we better get going Malik, got that test to study for."

"Right, right," Malik nodded. "Maybe I'll see you later, Altair." he said with a wave.

"Probably, with my luck." Altair joked. He waved the two men off and closed the door. That didn't go as badly as he thought. Maybe Malik was a halfway decent guy. _Maybe_.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi again everyone! Did you all have a good spring break? Sorry about the big gap, but don't worry, I'm back and ready to get writing! Thanks for the favs, follows, reviews, and patience, enjoy :)**

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Work was running along just smoothly at the pharmacy when Altair got a call from the hospital.

"Hello?" he answered, confused because he didn't recognize the number.

"Hello, this is Urgent Care, I'm calling for Altair Ibn-La'Ahad." a smooth female voice replied.

Altair's gut immediately tensed and he feared the worst. The only reason he'd be getting a call from the hospital would be if one of his brothers was in it.

"Uh, yeah, that's me, what happened?" he asked slightly more urgently than before.

"Your younger brother Ezio was admitted to our care about ten minutes ago. He was involved in a fight at school and got a cut vertically along his lips. It's nothing serious, but it'll need a few stitches." the woman answered just as calmly as before.

Altair breathed a silent sigh of relief but just as quickly his brows turned down in a frown. Couldn't that kid stay out of fights for two consecutive days? God, it seemed Altair was getting calls from school every other day about Ezio starting fights.

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes." Altair sighed into the phone then hung up.

It only took a quick, unpleasant conversation with Mr. ad-Din Sinan before Altair was temporarily relieved of work to go visit his brother. Despite being assured by the caller that his brother was in no imminent danger, Altair still drove faster than usual to reach the Urgent Care with a curious nervousness in his gut. Altair noticed that he was having this feeling more and more when any of the boys got hurt, this anxiousness to know that they're okay and they'll be alright.

When he finally arrived at the hospital, Altair approached the desk and asked for Ezio. He was directed by the receptionist to a doctor who was caring for the young boy. He told Altair that it would only take ten to fifteen minutes to do the actual stitches but he wanted to keep Ezio for at least an hour. It took a bit of convincing on Altair's part to get the doctor to just release Ezio after he got his stitches. With the business taken care of, Altair went to wait.

Twelve minutes later, with the stitches completed, Altair was invited into Ezio's room. The boy in question was sitting on a hospital bed looking the same as always plus an angry red cut that ran across his lips with several stitches keeping it together. He gripped at the edge of his shirt with a slightly nervous air like he was ready to pull it up and use the fabric as a shield to protect him from his older brother's wraith.

"What did you do this time, you idiot?" Altair walked in with these chiding words.

"_I_ didn't do anything." Ezio quickly jumped to his own defense.

"Okay," Altair rolled his eyes. "Then what happened?"

Ezio's face screwed up in a scowl as he stared at the floor. "Vieri de'Pazzi." he spat the name. "He was insulting our family. So I said how his mom was a cow and he's a spoiled brat who gets whatever he wants because his dad's rich. Then he threw a rock at my face." Ezio grumbled the last part.

Altair couldn't help that light chuckle and smile that tugged at his lips. It seemed the brothers were more alike than Altair would like to admit.

"You're stupid, you know that?" he teased slightly.

"I know." Ezio replied and tried to grin, but then grimaced and decided against it.

The older brother sighed and sobered quickly as he stared at the younger. What was Altair going to do with him?

"Alright, here's the thing, you got your dumbass clocked by a rock and landed in the hospital and I still have work to do so you're going to have to come to the pharmacy with me for a little while." he laid out the haps.

Ezio perked up slightly at that. None of the boys had ever been to either of Altair's jobs so the boy was naturally curious about what Altair did.

The doctor returned and gave Altair a prescription for painkillers for Ezio's face and then allowed the boy to leave with strict instructions to take it easy on his mouth. The two brothers left the hospital and Altair headed right back to his work. Ezio walked into the Wal-Mart with wide, curious eyes and was, as expected, disappointed when he saw the pharmacy.

"_This_ is where you work?" Ezio asked, glancing around with distaste.

"Yes, now get that stupid look off your face, you knew I work at a pharmacy." Altair snapped, tying on his apron.

Ezio wondered around the area of medicine, examining different things and being reprimanded by Altair as he went. The older brother followed the younger around, putting back anything Ezio picked up and just generally making sure Ezio didn't screw anything up.

"Is it bring your brother to work day?" the dry comment came from Malik as he milled around near the pharmacy.

"No, this idiot caught a rock to the face." Altair said, shooting a glare at Ezio. The younger boy just turned his face to make the new wound even more obvious to Malik. Malik scoffed and shook his head.

"Way to take care of your brothers."

Altair turned his glare on Malik. "Oh I'm sorry, would _you_ like to watch after four little devils twenty-four-seven?" he snapped.

Malik's expression softened, seeing Altair was clearly stressed. "Sorry," he replied, his tone more gentle now. "Is he okay?" Malik's brown eyes watched as Ezio wandered off farther into the pharmacy.

"Yeah," it came out more as a sigh. "He's gonna need to keep the stitches in for a few weeks, but other than that, he'll be fine. Other than a severe case of dumbassary that is." Malik chuckled softly. Altair caught the quiet sound and smiled ever so slightly, glad that he could elicit the sound. It was music to his ears.

A crash suddenly came from behind along with a soft 'whoops'. Altair stomped off down the aisles and found that Ezio had dumped over a shelf, spilling bottles and boxes of medication all over the floor.

"Agh! Okay, c'mon," Altair growled, grabbed Ezio's arm and dragged him back to the counter. He set the brunette down on a chair and gave him a stern look. "You stay here and _don't touch anything_, while I go fix the mess you made." Ezio rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, turning away from his scolding brother.

As Altair disappeared behind the rows of shelves, Ezio reluctantly did as he was told and stayed at the counter. He laid his arms across the smooth surface and rested his head across it, boredly staring over at Malik.

"Hey," he said dully.

"Hello." Malik replied politely.

A quiet minute passed between them.

"So you like Altair, huh?" Ezio finally spoke up again.

"Wha-What?! No!" Malik quickly denied, his face flushing a slight pink. "Why would you even say that? Your brother is a huge jackass-er, I mean, moron." Malik remembered he was speaking to a child and rephrased.

Ezio's shoulders slumped and his newly scarred lips turned down in a pout.

"Well I was more of _hoping_. Because Altair likes you."

Malik blushed even darker. "Wha...No, that can't be, he _hates_ me." he said, shaking his head vigorously. "How would you even know? You're like, twelve."

Ezio gave him a sly look. "I can tell by the way he looks at you. He likes you. And he's lonely you know. Ever since mom and dad died..he's been lonely." Ezio turned his head on its side and stared at Malik carefully. "But...maybe he wouldn't be if he had someone."

Malik sputtered but found no words, eventually his lips just set in a flat, flustered line. Ezio seemed to be taking great amusement in Malik's reaction. He grabbed a sticky note, Altair kept a supply of them under the counter, and a pen. In very cramped and scribbled handwriting expected from an eleven year old, Ezio jotted down a phone number. He peeled off the note and handed it to Malik. The other took it and gave it a careful look before raising his gaze to Ezio.

"What's this?"

"Altair's phone number. He's really not as much of a jackass as you might think. If you decide you like him, give him a call." Ezio told him.

"You're...oddly mature for your age." Malik noted slowly.

"Only in romantic matters." he answered with a cherub grin, making him wince slightly.

"I'll think about it." Malik eventually decided, and walked away, still staring at the number.

Altair came back to the counter just as Malik had left Ezio's sight.

"He's gone?" he asked in a slightly disappointed voice.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be hearing from him again." Ezio replied slyly.

Altair gave him a suspicious look. What was the little deviant planning?


	8. Chapter 8

Altair's new job smelled like shit. Giraffe shit to be precise. Malik had come through as promised and landed him a job, a temp job at least, only it wasn't exactly what Altair had hoped for. He now worked at the local zoo as a pooper scooper. Not a glamorous job but it actually paid surprisingly well, so all in all, Altair couldn't really complain. But that didn't stop him from vocalizing his distaste as he shoveled another load full. Luckily for Altair, this was just a filler job until he found a better one with a more pleasing work environment. But until then, he was stuck here. At the zoo.

As he worked, Altair's mind turned to more important things than giraffe droppings. Like the visit from his social worker tomorrow. Once he got home he would have to do a lot of cleaning to get the house into an acceptable state. Altair cringed at the thought of the mountains of dirty dishes that needed washing, baskets full of laundry that needed to be cleaned and folded, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, and that was just the _inside_. The outside was strewn with toys and garbage and some foul substance Altair didn't even know the origin of that one of the boys, none would fess up to it, had splattered on the side of the house.

Couldn't Altair ever get a break from work? No matter where he went, there was never peace for him.

For half a second, a scary thought cross Altair's mind. What if Sofian _did_ take the boys away? Would that really be so bad? Altair could go back to a life of being a normal young adult with normal responsibilities, which was to say hardly any at all. He wouldn't have to worry about feeding four hungry mouths or cleaning up after the little devils or making sure they were safe. The boys might be better off anyway with an _actual_ family that had _actual_ parents and means to take care of children.

Altair shook his head vigorously, frantically pushing away those thoughts. It frightened him that he had even considered giving the boys up. No way would he abandon them. He was their big brother and the only family they had left, they were counting on him to keep them together. Altair promised himself that he wouldn't fail them.

* * *

When Altair walked through the door after a long day at work he was immediately greeted by Clay, who flung himself around Altair's legs, hugging tightly and nearly knocking the brunette over.

"Well hello to you too." he said after he caught himself on the door.

Clay looked up at him, very serious with those crystal blue eyes, and whispered, "I didn't do it." Then he shot off in the blink of an eye, most likely to go hide somewhere from whatever evil deed he had almost certainly committed.

Highly suspicious now, Altair dropped his coat and keys by the door, stopping briefly to take off his shoes.

"Maria?" he called.

"Agh! You little brat!" came an answering scream.

A moment later a livid Maria came storming out of the boys' room, a clump of hair clutched in her hand.

"Where did that little bastard go?" she demanded upon seeing Altair.

Altair liked to think he was a pretty tough guy and not a lot of things scared him, but seeing Maria angry was one of the things that did. He quickly ratted out his young brother and pointed to the direction the blonde had run off to. Maria stalked after the child, looking like she might wring his neck when she found him. Altair noted, as he stared at her back, that the back of her hair seemed a bit uneven.

Just then the sliding glass door that led to the backyard opened and Connor came in slightly limping with a grinning Ezio right behind, whom Altair had dropped off at home hours ago after he got off his first job.

"What did you do?" Altair said in an accusatory tone.

"He was trying to climb a tree and fell and scrapped his knee." Ezio answered readily, looking thrilled that it had happened.

"My God, can't you two idiots stop hurting yourself for one day?" he demanded, stalking over to Connor and kneeling down to examine the wound. It was a pretty good scrape, it covered the entire surface of Connor's knee and was slowly oozing blood.

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up." Altair said, taking the lead to the kitchen.

Once all three were in the kitchen, Altair set Connor down on a chair and opened the medication cabinet. Altair pulled out giant band-aids that he had to buy special for the little boys and then got a wet washcloth. With the needed things gathered, Altair dropped to his knees and started cleaning Connor's knee.

"What tree was it?" he asked as he wiped up blood.

"The big one on the corner of the house." he answered.

"How high did you get?"

"Almost to the top." Connor spoke with a note of pride, his chest puffing up a bit.

Altair gave him an impressed look. "That's higher than anyone else has been able to climb, even me." he complimented. Connor grinned broadly.

After the job was done, Altair stood and put away the remains of the materials.

"That should do it. Stop falling." he ordered.

Connor gave a nod as he experimentally bent his knee back and forth. Deciding to take it easy, he hobbled off and took a seat at the couch. Altair shook his head after the boy. He knew it wouldn't be anytime soon that the boys stopped injuring themselves, but it never ceased to worry him like a parent when one came in bleeding. Altair suddenly felt much older than he actually was, or probably should feel.

Maria soon walked into the kitchen, dragging Clay by his arm. Clay dug his feet in and tried his best to be dead weight, but it was no use.

"What did he do?" Altair asked.

"This little shit cut off my hair!" Maria exclaimed, brandishing the lump of hair still in her hand. "He got behind me with a pair of scissors when I was helping Des and he just clipped it right off!" She shot a glare at Clay, who only whined in return and tried to twist out of her grip.

Altair crossed his arms and frowned at the blonde. "Go to your room." he ordered curtly.

"No!" Clay defied him.

Altair raised his eyebrows at the shout and turned his head slightly in a questioning manner. "Sorry, was that a _question? _Go to your room." He restated, firmer than before.

"No! You're not mom and you're not dad so you can't tell me what to do!" he shouted angrily.

Clay finally managed to escape Maria's grip, that had loosened in shock, and sprinted off outside. Altair was left stiff in surprise at the unexpected insult, his golden eyes wide.

"Altair..." Maria started uncertainly. Altair had often relieved his worries on Maria's ears, and one of the many, and one of the strongest, was that Altair couldn't live up to their parents.

"You better go." he said quietly. "I have a lot of work to do to prepare for Sofian tomorrow. Sorry about your hair."

Altair paid Maria, who was reluctant to leave her friend. It took several more insistences that Altair was fine and would be fine before she finally agreed to leave, bidding him good luck. When Maria was finally gone, Altair let out a long sigh. He had a lot of work to do and only the rest of today and half of tomorrow to do it. Better get to it.

* * *

**In the summers when I was younger, my mom would always have to buy these huge bandaids because I'd always end up scraping my knees or elbows or stomach. An my little brother is always getting scraped up, so I figured it was about time my sassy little boys got a little roughed up ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry this chapter is so short :0 but I really wanted to write this scene and now seemed like the perfect time. I really want to emphasize just how disconnected Altair was to the family and how badly he treated his brothers.**

* * *

_Altair took a deep breath and opened his golden eyes. His gaze was met with the bright red door of his family's house. He hadn't been inside, or even seen his brothers for that matter, since their parents' death. Ahmad, an old family friend, had been taking care of the boys after the abrupt and tragic accident. But now it was Altair's job to take care of them all. His responsibility._

_Finally, Altair forced his hand to move forward and twist the doorknob open, pushing the door inward. The inside of the house in which Altair had grown up in was very much the same as he remembered it, with only a few minor changes, but it felt foreign. It felt like Altair was stepping into someone else's territory. It had been several months since Altair had stopped calling this place his home and instead gave that title to his apartment that he had moved into. But that was all lost now. Now Altair would have to reestablish himself here to look after his brothers._

_"Alty!" Desmond called Altair's old nickname as he spotted his older brother. Ever since he learned to talk, Desmond could never pronounce Altair's full name and so had been the instigator of the nickname._

_The first thing Altair noticed about the small lad was that he wasn't as small as he remembered. Desmond had grown an inch or two and his hair was shorter, meaning he must have gotten a haircut not too long ago. Despite not having seen each other for months, Desmond wrapped his arms around Altair like he had only just left yesterday._

_"I'm glad you're home." he said cheerfully, gazing up at the older boy with soft brown eyes. Altair noted that his speech had improved as well._

_The next youngest boy appeared soon after. Clay, a bit taller with longer hair, came into the room and grinned up at Altair. He gave Altair a hug of his own and a quick greeting before grabbing Desmond's hand and they both ran off giggling._

_"You're back." Ezio's voice sounded from where he stood at the end of the hallway. He stared at Altair with a careful, guarded gaze. He was the oldest of Altair's brothers and understood most clearly what had happened and what was happening currently._

_"I'm back." Altair agreed dully._

_The two fell into silence. Altair really didn't know what to say. He had been a terrible brother, it had to be said. He was rude to his younger siblings and all in all treated them like trash. They had become even more distant when Altair became an adult and moved out, "claiming a life of his own", as he put it. Now that he was forced to come back, things were awkward._

_Suddenly the loud thunk of the sliding glass door being thrown open broke the silence and brought Altair's head around to his final brother. Connor stood there on the threshold, just staring at Altair with bloodshot eyes, looking like he had been crying not too long ago. His bare feet were dirty and his long hair was messy with dirt clods, moss, bird feathers, and stray twigs mixed in with the brown strands._

_"Why did you come back?" he asked coldly, giving Altair a dark frown._

_Altair was surprised by the menace in the boy's voice. Connor was one of the kindest out of all of the boys, surpassed only by Desmond perhaps, and Altair rarely heard him like this._

_"I have to take care of you now." he managed to reply._

_"Why!?" Connor repeated the word in a shout. Tears broke past his eyes and lazily dripped down his dirty cheeks. "You don't care about us! And you didn't care about mom and dad! You hate us! Just go away!" he screamed loudly._

_Tears now streamed steadily down Connor's cheeks, but no sobs escaped him. He glared at Altair with a cold fury that almost made Altair shiver. The brown eyed boy turned and sprinted away, leaving the door gaping open. For a moment again there was silence and stillness before Ezio sighed and went after his brother, closing the door quietly behind him. Altair was left in the empty living room feeling lonely and unwanted._

_How was he suppose to care for these boys? These boys that hated him and believed he hated them. Altair had been so disconnected from the family, he hadn't even spoken to their parents for months, let alone seen them. his reunion with them had been in the morgue. And suddenly he was thrust back into the family, and put at its head no less. Altair hung his head and let his bags drop to the floor. Who decided he was fit to take care of these children?_

* * *

Altair woke with a slight start, his eyes shooting open and flickering around his darkened room.

Just a dream. It was just a dream.

Except it wasn't. Altair had just dreamed about the first time he came home after his parents died. It was one of the hardest moments of his new life and he remembered it vividly. Of course he had to dream of this just before Sofian came. From the very beginning Altair doubted himself, though he rarely let it show, and he felt that now more than ever. What if he wasn't strong enough? What if he couldn't keep everyone together? Would they start to hate him again? Had they ever truly stopped?

Altair groaned and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

Tomorrow. He would worry about all this tomorrow. Tonight, he had to try and get as much rest as he could. Sofian was a tough social worker and would most definitely try to trip Altair up, hanging on even the slightest details. If Altair wanted any hope of competing with that, he would have to have his wits about him.


	10. Chapter 10

**So I have completely dreaded having to write this chapter and it came out surprisingly easy. Which disturbs me slightly.**

**Does this remind anyone else of Lilo and Stitch?**

**Thanks for the support guys, love you all! 3**

* * *

Today was technically Altair's day off, but that didn't stop work from finding him. He scurried about his little home that he shared with four obnoxious boys, still only in his pajamas, and cleaned. Today was the dreaded day that the devil Sofian would be coming for a home visit and Altair had to get this place spotless by the time he arrived at two. It was nine-thirty now and Altair had hardly managed to make a dent in the mounds of trash and seemingly permanent stains that plagued his home. He cursed himself for what felt like the millionth time that day for putting off the work till the last minute and not working on it sooner. But between caring for the boys, working at two different jobs, shopping, and cooking, he really hadn't felt like adding cleaning to his list of duties. And now he was paying the price.

There was a knock at the door and Altair was clutched with a momentary panic. Sofian wasn't supposed to be here yet, why would he be here, it couldn't be him yet. Altair made swift progress across the room and threw the door open. He was surprised to find his friends standing there. Maria led the troupe that consisted of Rauf and the Al-Sayf brothers.

"What are you guys doing here?" Altair asked, dumbstruck.

"We're here to help you, stupid." Maria said, aiming a light punch at his arm. Altair was too sluggish in his dodge and took the meager impact. She grinned at him. Altair just stared.

His friends were here to help him. For some reason the action was completely unexpected and oddly touching to Altair. For all his life he had relied only on himself to accomplish the things he desired, often refusing assistance, and now these people closest to him were offering their help in his darkest hour. A prideful, shallow part of Altair demanded that he shove his friends away and do it on his own, but he knew better than to listen to that part right now. Instead he gave a small smile and nodded.

"Thanks." he said, calmly humbled.

"Let's get to work!" Rauf piped up.

At his command, everyone surged into the house and started helping, even Malik. Altair gave him a curious look, confused as to why the older Al-Sayf had bothered coming and he was silently answered with a surprisingly tender look from those brown eyes. Altair wondered if he knew something about what he himself was going through right now, or had Malik just decided to act out of the kindness of his heart? Both seemed uncharacteristic motives from what Altair knew of the man, but, he was forced to remind himself, he didn't know much of the other. Either way everyone helped in making the house presentable, even the boys pitched in where they could and were shockingly helpful.

First they started with the inside of the low building. The living room was picked up and cleaned, then the kitchen, the boys' room, the bathroom, and finally Altair's own room, something he insisted he do by himself, but Maria ended up helping anyway. After that the laundry room was uncluttered, then the garage, which was an awful mess and they only managed to tame it slightly not entirely eradicate the mess, and eventually the cleaning crew felt comfortable to move on to the exterior. The boys were in charge of picking up toys and garbage while the adults cleaned the rest. Altair even had time to mow the small lawn that adorned the front yard.

It was one-forty-seven when all of the sterilization was complete. Kadar lit a candle he had found in a cupboard and the living room was graced with the smell of fresh cupcakes, which Desmond promptly tried to eat. It was only then that everyone was satisfied by the building.

With the work done, the group readied themselves to leave and gathered by the front door. Altair surveyed the friends that had come and helped and stated again the gratitude that filled his heart.

"Thanks a lot, you guys." he said sincerely.

"Aw, I haven't seen you so choked up since you watched Bambi when you were seven." Maria cooed, giving Altair's cheek a pinch. He shook out of the assault and frowned at her.

"Don't get used to it."

Everyone chuckled despite the menace in Altair's voice and he couldn't help but let his anger deflate quickly. The gathered company bid their farewells and took their leave, each driving off in the respective cars they'd arrived in. With the visitors dispersed, Altair sat all the boys down on the couch and gave them a firm of speech of behaving while Sofian was here "_or else_."

The ring of the rarely used doorbell had Altair's gut clenching at two o'clock sharp. That was him. As quietly as he could manage, so as not to be heard by the man just outside the front door, he shooed the little boys off to their room. He took a moment to compose himself, straightening his white hoodie, before answering the door. The dreaded Abass Sofian stood there in a pure black suit and tie, looking very businesslike with his briefcase and hands clasped behind his back.

"Mr. Ibn-La'Ahad." he greeted curtly.

"Mr. Sofian." it was physically difficult for Altair to force the respective title out of his mouth.

Without being invited, Sofian brushed past Altair and strode right in. Altair grit his teeth in annoyance. This would be a _long_ afternoon.

The first thing Sofian demanded was that Altair give him a tour of the house, which the guardian did, albeit begrudgingly. Sofian was shown each room, even Altair's own upon insistence, all the while taking notes and making comments, most of them negative. Altair became more and more nervous as the visit went on. Next Sofian sat Altair down in the living room and asked him questions about the boys, Altair's job, his financial problems, and plans for the future. Altair answered them all to the best of his abilities, but he constantly felt like he was saying everything wrong. Then the soulless, as Altair was convinced he was by this point, social worker asked, or rather demanded to speak to the boys. Alone. Altair wasn't happy or comfortable with that in the slightest, but he complied. The boys came quickly to Altair's call and acted remarkably calm and polite. Altair had to wait in another room while Sofian interviewed the children first all together then one by one. When Altair was called back to Sofian, alone this time, he walked over with tight nerves.

"I have thought long and hard about this, Altair, and I have come to a conclusion." Sofian said coldly, staring Altair dead in the eye with those heartless black eyes.

"Oh?" was all that managed to escape Altair's mouth.

"You're irresponsible, arrogant, and uncaring towards your brothers. You have significant financial problems, and have lost a job this week, accused of theft."

Altair forced himself to remain silent throughout Sofian's lecture, even though his fists were clenched and shaking with suppressed rage.

"One of your brothers was emitted to the hospital only yesterday, your house is unsafe for such young children to be running about, and you're lazy."

Altair frowned, not sure what _that_ had to do with anything. What the hell did Sofian know about him?

"As I result, I deem you unfit to raise these children."

Altair went numb, his brain blanking for several long seconds. Unfit? But...

As soon as the shock washed over him, it turned to anger. Altair re-clenched his fists that had fallen open and took a step closer to Sofian.

"Now you listen to me!" he bellowed, his voice rising without his consent. "I do every God damn thing I can for my brothers and I would do anything to keep them safe! You _can't_take them away from me! We're family and we've got to stick together, don't give me some bullshit about me being '_unfit'_! They're happy here, aren't they? They're fed and kept warm and taken care of and that's all that should matter to you snobby stuck up asshole social workers!"

Sofian blinked slowly, not seeming to absorb Altair's words.

"I'll have the paperwork sent in and by this time next week I'll return for the boys." he said in that same bitter tone as always.

Altair was pushed to the side and Sofian stalked across the room, calmly opening the door. He looked back to Altair, glaring with his black eyes.

"Good day, Mr. Ibn-La'Ahad." And with that, he was gone, leaving Altair alone and sadder than he'd ever been before.


	11. Chapter 11

**Did I break you guys yet? No? I'll have to work on that.**

* * *

After Sofian left, Altair just sank down onto the couch, his basic cognitive functions failing him. He couldn't fathom how this had happened. The boys...They'd be taken away in just seven days. How had Altair managed to fuck up so royally that he was losing the last bit of family he had?

Altair wasn't sure how much time had passed before the boys poked their heads out of their room. Hesitantly, they approached him and gathered about his stiff form. Altair raised his head to stare at them and felt like a thousand pins were being pushed into his heart.

He couldn't believe that these boys, his brothers, whom he cursed at least once every day, the boys that he loved with all that remained of his black, dry heart, were going to be taken away. After all the hard work Altair had put into coming back and actually being here for them, it was all for not. In just a few simple words, Sofian had brought Altair's broken world come crashing down around him. And damn it, it wasn't fair to the boys! What had they done to deserve this? Sure, Altair wasn't the very best guardian, that title had belonged to their parents, but at least he was here and tried his damnedest to provide for them! And yet, that hadn't been enough.

"Altair..?" Ezio was the first to call out, his face fearful and uncertain. He must have already guessed what happened but hoped he was wrong.

Altair's heart squeezed tighter at Ezio's words. The hard realization that he would just have seven precious days before the boys would be gone forever came crashing fully down on Altair's shoulders and it was the hardest thing he'd ever had to accept.

He felt his eyes grow moist and did something that, under any other circumstances, he'd never be caught dead doing, Altair held his arms out for a hug. Desmond was quick to rush forward and hug Altair, still oblivious to the actuality of the situation. Next came Clay and then, after brief hesitation, the older boys. Altair wrapped his arms tightly around his dearest brothers and unwillingly the tears fell. He pinched his eyes shut tightly and nestled his face into Connor's hair, his tears wetting it. His body shook slightly, but no sound besides quiet gasping escaped him. He was never a noisy crier.

The boys quickly panicked, having hardly ever seen their older brother in this state, and asked again and again what had happened. Ezio quietly told them what he thought had happened and looked to Altair for confirmation. His head bobbed ever so slightly in a nod and he pulled them back into the hug. Now they started to cry to, Desmond being the loudest out of all of them.

The time passed sluggishly as the broken family stayed like this for a long time. Eventually they broke apart, forced to move on with life despite the heavy knowledge that now burdened their young shoulders. It was dinner time before they knew it, but Altair felt nowhere near well enough to cook so they just scavenged what little food they already had around in the kitchen. After the meal, that hardly anyone touched, they returned to the living room and turned on the T.V. to mindlessly watch the colorful images that flashed across the screen.

The house was eerily quiet, reminding Altair of the time just after their parents had died. When all the boys had finally realized that their mother and father would indeed not be coming home, they hardly spoke for an entire week. This time almost seemed to be worse. Not only were they losing the remaining parental figure they had, but there was a good chance that they would be going to different homes. The first crack in the delicate glass of their family had begun when their parents died and had slowly spread until now the glass was ready to break.

* * *

The ringtone of Altair's cell phone roused him from a sleep he hadn't realized he'd slipped into. He slowly opened his irritated eyes and glanced around. The boys were clustered around him, the flashing light of the T.V. making their sleeping faces look pale. What time was it? Altair looked at the clock and barely read nine-thirty in the darkness of the room. The ringtone persisted from somewhere by the computer table.

Careful not to bother the sleeping children, Altair untangled himself from the mess and padded over to his still ringing phone.

"Hello?" his voice broke, sounding terrible from both crying and having just woken up. Altair cleared his throat and tried again. "Who's this?"

"It's Maria, are you okay? You sound like shit. Did it...go well?" Maria tried to sound hopeful.

Altair paused, remembering the disaster earlier.

"Uh, no. No it didn't. Oh God, Maria, I'm gonna lose them." Despair found Altair's voice as he forced out the words. "Sofian said I have a week and then..."

"Oh fuck. Altair..." Maria's words failed her and they fell into silence.

"Do...Do you want me to come over?" she asked hesitantly after a while.

"No...No, that's alright. I just wanna be alone with the boys for a little while. Thanks for calling." Altair hung up and gently set the phone down, but suddenly he felt like hurling it. His usual characteristic anger was coming back with full force, crashing down around him like an ocean. It took all of Altair's willpower to not break something or yell in frustration at the top of his voice.

How had everything gotten so fucked up so fast?!

Desperately needing fresh air, Altair stormed across the room and pushed aside the sliding glass door, coming out into the cold night air. He took a deep, deep breath and turned his face skyward.

Despite Altair's internal havoc, the night was as beautiful as ever. The air was just getting cool, blowing through the slowly regrowing leaves of the trees in a peaceful rustle. The sky above was littered with stars that speckled the black void like spilled glitter. The halves moon glowed brightly down on those unfortunate enough to still be trapped on Earth.

There was a rustle from behind and light footsteps that alerted Altair to the presence of one of his brothers. To be around them made him feel so guilty, after all it was his fault they'd all be taken away.

"Hi," Clay's voice came out as more of a yawn. He sauntered up beside Altair, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hey," Altair greeted halfheartedly. "What're you doing up?"

"I wanted," he paused for another yawn, and then fully cleared his expression, looking skyward with wide blue eyes. "To look at the stars."

Altair watched him for a minute. Clay had always stood out in the family of brunettes, having such light hair and eyes, ones almost as striking as Altair's. The boys would sometimes tease that Clay was adopted, which would earn them the child's fury, but it was all in good fun, and the oldest brother knew for a fact that he came from their mother's womb. He remembered vividly, and probably wouldn't forget anytime soon, Clay's birth. The father of the Ibn-La'Ahad household had been away on a business trip when Altair's mom went into labor earlier than expected, _much_ earlier, and so the, at the time, fourteen year old boy had been the only support throughout the process. He had stood, mostly terrified but steeled, by his mother's side and held her hand, which had the death grip, as she pushed Clay out. He was the first of their family to hold Clay in his arms because his mom had been too weak. Altair remembered wrinkling his nose down at the pale, lumpy, wrinkly, squishy flesh sag that they called a baby and told his mother plainly that she should have no more kids. At that she just laughed and then sighed and smiled.

"Do you ever wonder," Clay's words brought Altair out of his thoughts. "What it's like to be up there?"

Altair turned his head upward again and ran his eyes over the stars. He shrugged.

"Not really."

"I do." Clay said fiercely. "Someday, I'm gonna be an astronaut and fly up in space with the stars."

Altair managed to smile and ruffled Clay's hair.

"Good for you, kid." he said with genuine approval.

Clay beamed at him and hugged his leg tightly.

"I don't want to leave." he spoke barely above a whisper.

"Me neither." Altair said at the same volume.

It was in that moment, standing out in the cold of night with one of his youngest brothers, that Altair firmly set his mind. In seven days Altair may lose all of his brothers, but before that time he would make sure that this coming week would be unforgettable. He didn't know at the moment how he was going to make it so, but he would. For the boys.


	12. Chapter 12

**I would just like to apologize to anyone whom I've caused emotional trama to and know that I am not legally responsible. Thanks all for the favs, reviews, and follows! I'm glad (not to mention surprised) that this story is so well recieved. And I want you all to know that I have an end planned.**

* * *

The days were finally starting to warm up. For now the spring showers had let up and the sun decided to stop playing behind clouds, giving sunny, clear days. Thus today was the perfect day to be at the cooped up inside the nickel arcade. The building would have been dark if not for the glowing screens of various video games and colorful lights lining the room. Kids of all ages played here, causing the sounds of firing weapons, pinball machines, tires squealing, and the thunk of balls going in the hole as they played the array of games the arcade had to offer.

It had been two days since Sofian's disaster of a visit and Altair had finally recovered, somewhat, and he had resolved to spend as much time with the boys doing fun stuff as he could before the next dreaded Friday. Today that meant going to the nickel arcade. The boys had thought it was a great idea and squealed at the very idea. Altair was surprised they had managed to somehow forget the emanate separation of their family and enjoy this pleasure. But none the less he was glad they were having fun. Currently Connor was playing a hunting game, being not too shabby at it too, Ezio was playing a classic racing game, and the boys...Altair wasn't really sure what they were doing. The machine they sat at said it was a taxi game, but when he went over to watch Desmond was driving like a mad man with Clay pressing the gas to the floor because the brunette's legs were too short. The little digital guy in their taxi jumped out going eighty on the highway, probably deciding that was a better option than staying in the car.

Altair himself was sitting off to the side at a set of tables made for adults so they could relax somewhat while they watched their kids. Surprisingly enough, at his side was Malik. Ever since hearing about the result of Sofian's visit, Altair's friends had chipped in and helped out wherever they could. Even Malik, who, Altair recently decided, wasn't _such_ a bad guy after all.

"Altair," Malik called, accompanied with a thump to Altair's forehead.

Altair jolted slightly and tore his gaze from his brothers to stare at Malik.

"What?" he asked, slightly irritated by the thump.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Uh,"

Malik rolled his eyes. "That's a 'no' then. I _said_ Maria was talking about taking you and the boys to this amusement park tomorrow. She said something about wanting to see you being a dork again before it all really goes to shit."

"How thoughtful of her." Altair said sarcastically. "I'll give her a call. I'm still trying to decide if I want to keep the boys out of school for the week or not."

The pair fell into silence again, listening to the sound of playing children and watching Altair's little brothers. It wasn't until a minute or two later that Malik spoke again.

"You two seem pretty close." he observed.

"Who two?" Altair asked dumbly.

"You and Maria. How long have you known her?"

Altair blew out his cheeks, trying to think.

"God, it must have been since I was...eight? So about eleven years. Pretty much all our lives." Altair said with a shrug.

"Uh, huh." Malik nodded and looked away again.

Altair watched him closely.

"Why?" he suddenly questioned. "Are you," Altair leaned towards Malik and wiggled his eyebrows a bit. "_Jealous_?"

Malik scoffed and pushed Altair away by his face.

"You wish. I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole."

"Is that right?" Altair quirked an eyebrow and smirked, coming up with a devilish plan.

But Malik was no fool. He watched Altair carefully, leaning farther away.

"Try not to do something stupid for once." the brown eyed man warned.

"I can _not_ do stupid things." Altair spoke as he leaned closer across the table. He only stopped when he was mere inches from Malik, both staring at the other to see what they'd do. The intense moment was broken when Desmond and Clay bounded up.

"Alty, we ran out of nickels." Desmond said, holding up his hands for more.

Altair rummaged through his bag for a minute before coming up with another tube. He tossed it to Desmond, who surprisingly caught it, and said, "Don't blow it all at one place."

The two youngest boys grinned happily as they hurried off to go play more games. The two older boys at the able however were left in a smothering silence, the moment having passed.

* * *

After a long day at the arcade was over, Altair wrestled the boys into the van and drove off. Back home he had already planned on making boxed mac'n'cheese. The boys were released to do whatever they wished while Altair started on dinner, Malik lingering nearby.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Altair offered over his shoulder.

"Thanks, but I've got an essay I have to finish before tomorrow. Kadar should be here any minute to pick me up." Malik responded politely.

Altair wouldn't admit it, but he was a little disappointed.

True to what Malik said, only a handful of minutes passed before Kadar pulled up and whisked his older brother away. A while longer after dinner was ready and Altair called the boys to their small dinning room table. It was rowdy at first as everyone hastened to dish up the golden deliciousness, but settled again when they were all back in their seats.

"So," Altair began around a mouthful of noodles and cheese. "Maria wants to take you guys to an amusement park tomorrow."

Instantly the two youngest burst out in exclamations of surprise and pleasure.

"But!" Altair had to raise his voice to quiet the boys. "You all better behave yourself." He gave a stern look to them all, even the older ones. The boys were all quick to agree to Altair's terms.

"Will Malik be there?" Connor asked, surprising Altair.

"Uh, I don't think so, no. Why?" Altair replied.

"I like him." he said firmly. "He's smart and doesn't treat me like a kid."

"Maybe you'll see him around more often." Altair mused.

"Oh really?" Ezio suddenly jumped into the conversation.

Altair eyed him carefully.

"Yeah...Why are _you_ so interested?" he asked suspiciously. Altair remembered Ezio's encounter with Malik at the pharmacy only a few days ago. Come to think of it, Malik had been more pleasant since that meeting.

"Oh, uh, no reason." Ezio quickly tried to cover up his previous interest and looked down at his meal.

"Uh huh." Altair kept his gaze on the questionable boy. He would have to keep his eye on him.


	13. Chapter 13

**First off guys, sorry this is _such_a short chapter, but there's a reason for it! I wanted this to be the last chapter, but I figured you guys deserved a bit of warning so this is just the second to last one. Beware!**

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The days seemed to pass in a flash, much to Altair's discontent. Every day he would find something new for the boys to do, spending what little money he had saved to make these last few days count. Altair's friends had pitched in here and there, helping them along, which Altair appreciated dearly. He finally fully understood just how nice it was to have friends and family that actually cared about him.

But as the time went by, Friday loomed nearer and nearer. Altair dreaded the day with a fiery passion because he knew that that bastard Sofian would take away his boys. It wasn't right. How could he do that? What right did he have to judge Altair's worthiness? But no matter how unjust Altair thought it was, there was nothing he could do. That fact was hard to accept. Altair hadn't even thought, didn't want to think about what he would do afterwards. The idea of having any sort of life without his brothers was painful, so he avoided considering it.

Today was Thursday, the last day before everything goes to hell. But there was no last hurray, no big send off Altair had for the boys. Today they just stayed inside and played video games. It was casual enough, but a heavy weight hung in the air, an impending doom that was near impossible to ignore. Even the little boys became fidgety and uncomfortable.

That night they had nachos for dinner. It was a loud affair of crinkling bags and breaking chips as everyone wanted to make their own plate of the cheesy goodness. By the time they were done the kitchen was a wreck and no one felt inclined to clean it up so they just went back to the couch and continued playing.

It wasn't until well past bedtime, a time that had lost all meaning in the past week, that Altair decided he should remind the boys of the upcoming separation.

"So, you guys remember what tomorrow is?" he started awkwardly.

"Isn't tomorrow Friday!" Desmond called. He had been learning the days of the week in school.

"Yeah," Altair agreed, ruffling Desmond's hair for his accomplishment. "But do you guys know what's happening tomorrow?"

By the look on Ezio and Connor's grim faces, they knew.

"Sofian's gonna come and..." Altair found the words surprisingly hard to choke out. "Take you to a better home, like we talked about a few days ago."

"But I like this home." Clay said.

"I know you do, but...Sofian thinks it would be best." Altair swallowed hard around the lump in his throat.

"Fuck Sofian." Ezio said fiercely.

Altair gave the oldest of his brothers a glare. "What did I say about language?" he reprimanded.

"I don't care, that guy has no right!" Ezio continued.

"Why can't we decide where we want to stay?" Connor jumped in.

"Looks, guys, it just doesn't work that way." Altair tried to control the quickly spiraling conversation. "I just wanted to remind you guys so you'd be prepared. Tomorrow you're gonna have to pack your things and be ready by two."

None of the boys looked happy about it. Altair had always thought of them as little children, but he was forced to realize that they were all old enough to understand what was happening and grieve appropriately. Altair wondered, not for the first time, why their parents had decided to have so many children.

The five of them slept on the couch together again that night. None of them wanted to waste what very little time they had left. They all curled up closely around Altair who had become their rock through the whole experience. Altair in turn wrapped his arms around them like he'd never let go. If only fate were so kind.

It was late into the night when Altair was awoken by a kick to the guts. The air whooshed out of him and pain blossomed in his stomach. Altair opened his eyes and looked around for the offender. Connor was curled up next to him, his limbs slightly spaztastically twitching and shaking. He gave a little whimper and curled in closer to Altair. The big brother wrapped a comforting arm around him and stroked his hair. But in the end it didn't work and Connor woke from his nightmare with a gasp, terrified eyes looking frantically around.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, it was just a dream." Altair was immediately soothing. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered that he sounded just like their mother did when they'd come running to her after a nightmare.

Connor hugged Altair tightly, his body trembling slightly. Altair continued to stroke his hair and murmur comforting words. After he had calmed, Altair pulled him back slightly.

"What was you dream about?" he asked.

"I dreamt...that Sofian came and...and he took us away. I said I didn't want to go, but he didn't listen to me. He...turned into a demon with big wings and claws and picked us all up. He killed you and flew away with us." Connor relayed the story, still seeming shaken from it.

Altair wanted to say that it was alright and none of that would happen because it was just a bad dream, but he couldn't, because it _was_ going to happen. Sofian _was_ going to take them away and _was_ going to be killing Altair in a sense.

"It...Don't worry, Sofian won't turn into a demon." Altair said.

It wasn't much of a reassurance, but Connor snuggled back down and managed to return to sleep within his nest of siblings. Altair also fell asleep a while later, wondering if Sofian _would_ turn into a demon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Here it is. The final chapter. Thank you all so much for the nice reviews and all the favorites and follows. You guys have really encouraged me to continue writing even when I thought I couldn't anymore and I'm proud to say that my first chapter long fic is complete! Love you all!**

* * *

Altair didn't even bother to get the house prim and proper for Sofian's arrival. The house was still in mostly good shape from last week's sterile wipe down and Altair figured any damage to be done had been already so there was no point. The boys had prepared their things, though not a single one of them was happy about it, and more than a few tears had been shed on everyone's part already.

The little family was sitting on the couch watching silly cartoons when two o'clock came around and there was the expected knock on the door. The boys swapped looks equal amounts of fear, anger, and sadness. Altair slowly reached for the remote and muted whatever show they had been staring at but not really watching. He turned to the boys and gave them all a firm hug, a private goodbye before Sofian tore them away. Then Altair stood and carefully walked over to the door, wary of the person he would undoubtedly find on the other side. Taking a deep breath, the door was pulled open.

That was not what Altair expected. Standing before the door was not Sofian. It was an older man with darkened leather like skin that was very wrinkled. He had a scruffy gray beard, no hair on his head, and wore rather casual clothes, which further surprised Altair.

Sofian was late? Altair couldn't fathom the suggestion. Sofian wasn't the type to be late. But he had to be if this man was here and Sofian was not. Who was he, anyway? Certainly no one Altair knew, so why was he here?

"Can I help you?" he asked the elderly man.

The man cleared his throat and offered a kind smile.

"Yes, sorry to surprise you like this." the man spoke in a gentle tone that was soothing. "My name is Jabal Nagi, I'm here in place of Abbas Sofian." he explained.

Altair's gut twisted and his expression hardened. He nodded curtly and opened the door, allowing the replacement social worker inside. He wondered why Sofian had not come personally. Surely he would take great pleasure in ruining Altair's life by his own hand.

Jabal stepped inside and noticed the boys sitting quietly on the couch, looking curiously over at the unexpected arrival. Once the door was closed he turned back to Altair.

"Allow me to explain myself."

Altair waved his head, bidding him to continue.

"Abbas has recently been suspended due to a criminal investigation." Jabal began.

Altair's eyebrows shot up at this news.

"Apparently he has been doing his job unjustly and several families have already suffered for it. I have come by in his place to see if his evaluation is fair. I hate to intrude upon you so suddenly, but I need to do an inspection." Jabal said apologetically.

Altair didn't mind, in fact, he rejoiced. This was a second chance! He thanked God, or however was up there, that he had another opportunity to keep the boys. He readily agreed with Jabal and allowed him to go about the investigation. If by some chance of fate that Abbas had judged him unfairly, Altair could still have his brothers by the end of the day. This new hope was almost surreal.

Jabal was polite and kind as he walked about the house, unlike Sofian. He poked and prodded some places and asked questions, but never showed how he felt about any of the answers, making Altair nervous. He sat everyone down in the living room and interviewed them, where Sofian had separated them. Altair wondered if the boys gave the same answers they had last time or changed them in hopes of staying.

By the end of the second home visit, Altair was exhausted and about ready to just beg Jabal what his verdict was. The boys were sent off to their room while the two adults sat to discuss what had happened. Jabal crossed one leg over the other and looked down at the clipboard he had brought with him.

"Mr. Ibn-La'Ahad, in Mr. Sofian's report, he states that you are lazy, uncaring, irresponsible, and overall a terrible guardian for your brothers."

Altair grit his teeth and realized his fists were clenched tightly.

"I think that he's wrong."

Surprise showed clearly across the golden eyed man's face and his hands went slack.

"If I have seen anything today, it's that you clearly love these boys. You are doing a lot to take care of them, even taking up two jobs, and have had to deal with a lot since they came under your custody. I believe that you've done, and are doing, everything you can for your brothers' best interests. As far as I am concerned, you are fit and able to remain the guardian of those four boys."

Altair's heart caught in his throat and he froze. Had he just heard what he thought he just heard? Was Jabal...letting him keep the boys? The idea was more than he could hope for. It couldn't be true. No, Altair must have heard wrong.

Jabal's chuckle brought Altair back to the present. He gave Altair a smile that almost seemed fatherly.

"You look like you've swallowed a fish." Jabal said, amused. "Didn't you hear me? The boys will stay in your custody."

It finally managed to sink into Altair's head. He was keeping his boys.

"Thank you." he eventually spoke, his voice sounding choked. "Thank you so much." Altair almost wanted to break down in tears of relief.

"You're welcome, Mr. Ibn-La'Ahad. I'm sorry for the undue stress that Mr. Sofian's misconduct has caused you." Jabal stood as he spoke. "Well, I think I've done all I can here, good luck to you sir, I'm glad to know those boys are in good hands."

Altair politely saw Jabal out the door, thanking him several more times. When the door was closed, the boys anxiously poked their heads out of their room, clearly confused as to why they were still here though the social worker was not.

"You get to stay." Altair barely breathed the words. A bright smile spread across his face and he repeated it with more enthusiasm. "You get to stay!"

The boys cheered and charged Altair, crashing together in a big group hug. Altair laughed and kissed each one of them on the head before pulling them close. He thanked whatever holy beast there might be that his boys got to stay with him.

They stayed in a people huddle for a very long time before they finally broke away and Altair declared ice cream for dinner. He unwisely let Ezio dish out the frozen treat, not caring about the mess that would ensue, while he hunted down his phone and dialed Maria's number. Altair excitedly told her that the boys would stay and she rejoiced, congratulating him and making a smart comment. Next, Altair had the urge to call Malik. Over the past seven days they had grown closer and someone could even describe them as friends. Altair's ridiculous attraction for Malik had only grown in that time as well.

"Hello, Altair?" Malik asked, sounding apprehensive. He knew full well what was supposed to be happening today.

"Malik, I have them. The boys. They're staying." Altair couldn't contain his glee.

"That's great!" Malik said enthusiastically. "What happened?"

Altair explained about Sofian and Jabal and Malik congratulated him again and said how happy he was for Altair. A slightly awkward silence followed that and Altair had the urge to do something totally crazy.

"Hey, Malik?" he asked, a slight hesitance edging into his voice.

"Yeah?"

"I know this good restaurant around here that has pool tables. Would you wanna go sometime?"

There was a pause and Altair gulped.

"Like...a date?" Malik asked carefully. Altair couldn't tell how the other felt about the notion.

"Yeah. Something like that." Altair admitted.

Another pause. _Oh God, he's gonna turn me down. This was such a bad idea. Maybe he's not gay? Neither am I-What if he hates me? Shit, this was_**_such_**_a bad_ _idea._

"Sure."

"Really?" Altair had to clear his throat to keep his voice from cracking.

"Yeah, I have free time on Saturday. You have that day off, right?"

"Uh huh. So...I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Sounds like a plan. See you then, Altair."

"Bye, Malik."

They both hung up and Altair openly whooped. Today could not have gone better. It was such a blissful treat at the end of a terrible week.

"What?" Clay asked Altair about his cheer.

"Nothing for you to worry about, shortie." Altair said cheerfully, ruffling Clay's hair. "I have a date."

* * *

**My mom always tells me about her first date with my dad was they went and played pool. I thought it was freakin adorable and rather original.**

**Anyway, this is the end. Seeya all! *single tear slids down my cheek* Thank you all for reading.**


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